It was not only to his house but to these caves, as well.
“Bella, stop! I cannot go in there!” She tried to pull back, but how? There was no actual rope to cut in order to break free of Bella’s hold. A wave washed onto shore and soaked the hem of her gown.
The tide was coming in.
A drowning tide.
“Bella, please! You must let me go!”
Her cries caught on the wind and were carried out to sea.
The ghost had first appeared to her as a pretty girl of seventeen. But that pretty girl was no longer present, for in her place stood an angry phantasm whose eyes were as black as onyx.
Fool! Heather, you fool!
What had she done?
She stumbled as she was drawn onto the slippery rocks near the caves and scraped her knee. Waves crashed all around her. “Please, stop! Bella, let me go!”
Those jagged rocks also cut her hands as she grabbed at them in desperation.
Her efforts were to no avail. Cold water surrounded her, soaking her gown and boots. Not that any of it mattered now. Bella held a powerful force over her and was about to drag her into one of those caves.
“Bella, please. I will die if you keep me here.”
The girl—or ghost, whatever it was—now tossed back her head and laughed. “Why should I care?”
Chapter Six
Ruarke had justridden out of view of MacArran Grange when he was overcome by a feeling of dread. Why had he left Heather behind? Did she not have as much right to search those records? A greater right, if her mother was somehow connected to this ghost.
“Come on, Hadrian. Take me home.” He turned his mount around and spurred the big gray to a gallop. Upon reaching the stable, he tossed the reins to his groom and then strode into the house to find her.
His housekeeper was just coming out of the music room where the opera singer had performed last night. “Mrs. Pool, have you seen Miss Alwyn?”
“No, Your Grace.”
His cousin, Lord Hereford, happened to be walking down the hall on his way to the stable for an early morning ride and heard the question. “Miss Alwyn’s an early riser. I saw her heading down to the beach. I’m surprised she isn’t grabbing every last moment of sleep she can, considering how our aunt keeps her dashing back and forth all day.”
Ruarke’s heart caught in his throat. “How long ago? Recently?”
His cousin nodded. “Could not have been more than five or ten minutes ago.”
Which meant she had gone back as soon as he rode off from MacArran Grange.
Ruarke raked a hand through his hair. “If she returns… If either of you see her, send her to my study and have her wait there for me. She is not to leave for any reason.”
“But Your Grace—”
“No, Mrs. Pool. Not even if Lady Audley screams for her. Assign a maid to attend my aunt today.” He began running as fast as his legs would carry him toward the beach.
He flew down the cliff steps and raced toward the Singing Caves as soon as his boots landed on the soft sand. No one else was on the beach, but he noticed small footprints leading away from the stairs and toward the caves.
Those footprints could only belong to Heather.
Had he not warned her of the dangers?
“Miss Alwyn!” The tide was coming in and would soon flood those caves. A mist hovered over them like an ominous shroud. “Miss Alwyn! Heather!”
